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Jack Callahan
Jack Callahan is a cocky yet undoubtedly skilled thief, who plagued the city of Kalleandar. He was the leader of a revolutionary gang known as the Embers. Despite being a wanted criminal, he was well-liked among the working class who knew him, as he focused his efforts strictly against the wealthy elite of the city, and the Embers were often rather charitable in their works. He is affable and welcoming, but will not be pushed around. To see him on the street, one would be unlikely to concede even a second glance. He is a decidedly plain man, with sandy blond hair and deep, hazel eyes. Of average height and build, Jack is a master at blending in with the crowd. For a revolutionary, he was reasonably well-educated and highly informed of places, events and personages in the capital and in the other major Asonian cities. Rumors abound regarding his youth, as no one seems to know where he came from before he started his efforts to enact political change through subversion. He was wanted in the capital for 200+ incidences of larceny, 8 cases of grand larceny, 2 cases of conspiracy against the Crown, 17 cases of trespassing and vandalism, 1 case of arson, and 6 cases of unlawful assembly. Blackblades Jack was originally very affable in his dealings with Raito and his group, but as Raito's subtly manipulative personality became increasingly clear, Jack's manner turned blunter in kind. After the massacre in the Groggy Goose, Jack took it upon on himself to go to Yeto to ensure that the person who had ordered this was made accountable. He put Aiden in temporary command of the Embers, utilized Raito's favour with the AAA to hire Charlotte Grey as a guide, and set out with his friend Ridley. Despite his deep dislike for Raito, he still permitted him and his group to travel with them. While in the mountains, Jack had several unfortunate run-ins with the fey. In particular, he mentioned his heart's desire to a group of faeries, after which he began to be followed by a sparrow of peculiar intelligence that calls itself Melinda. The particulars of how this fulfilled a wish of his weren't discussed openly. Revolution Jack returned to Asanon from Yeto with restored purpose and resolve. Two months after arriving, with Aiden and the Embers’ help, he had drafted proposals to reform the government to be more responsible, more open, and more representative of the people of Asanon. He presented it formally and was met with hostility and scorn; his arrest was attempted, but failed. The next day, a violent riot erupted in Kalleandar; the army and police were unprepared and unable to suppress it. It raged for several days. By the end, many people had died on both sides, among them the king, his family and many of the old members of the parliament. The Embers, as leaders of the movement, installed themselves as interim government until a new leader could be voted on. Jack, though somewhat unwilling, was voted as the new president; he drafted a new constitution, and Asanon had a new system of governance. Jack lived a life in service to his country, doing his best to create a safer, more stable land. He was voted in for a great many consecutive terms, and his government did much to improve public safety and living conditions for the poor, as well as increase services to the farming communities. He had a quiet personal life; he would often visit his friend Aiden, who had been offered and who had denied nearly every position in the new government, but he seemed to have few personal contacts beyond that. His past was a mystery, a hot topic among gossips in the cities, and he never made any mention of it, changing the topic whenever it was brought up. The only hobby he seemed to enjoy was raising a myriad of pet birds of all shapes and sizes. In the early years of his office, he particularly favoured an unusually tame sparrow, and when the country’s symbol was redesigned to replace the old monarchy’s insignia, he insisted that a sparrow be incorporated. Jack never married, and lived well into his 7th decade before passing away. A statue of him was built in Kalleandar to commemorate the good he did for the country. Life Before Jack Callahan Jack was born William Trecher, middle son of a cloth merchant. The Treacher family is relatively wealthy and successful, supplying cloth to high class citizens of Arlington and beyond, including the capital of Kalleandar. William, being the second son, was not expected to take over the family business, but was trained and educated to be a cultured and successful businessman in his own right, with the hopes that he would marry into another well-to-do merchant family and add to the successes of his forbearers. When in their teenage years, Will and his older brother often joined their father on his business trips, so that they would learn firsthand the finer points of the trade. It was on these meetings that Jack met a noble girl, and they quickly fell deeply in love, as teenagers often do. However, being that she was of a high household and he being merely a cloth merchant, they were implicitly forbidden from fraternizing, let alone from courting. They began to sneak off to see each other, and would meet in the seedier parts of Arlington where they could be together without her attendants and family knowing. The girl was betrothed to another, as is commonplace for wealthy families. She had no feelings for the other man, and her and Will entertained notions of running away. However, they never did; she was devoted to her family, and he did not want to cause her the sadness of leaving them and her responsibilities to them. The fiancée noted the girl’s absence as their wedding date loomed. He followed her, and saw her meet with the merchant boy. Disgusted with this turn of events, the fiancée revealed himself and declared Will’s life to be forfeit, claiming that he had been seducing her and attempting to rob her. Shocked at this, the girl attempted to stop him, but could not; he drew his sword and flew towards Will. The fight was brief but fierce as Will attempted to defend himself from the nobleman who raged at him with deadly intent. In the shortest of moments, the girl attempted to pull the men apart, the nobleman’s hand slipped, and the blade he brandished dug deeply into the girl’s chest. The two men watched as the girl they loved died, tears in her eyes. The nobleman flew at Will and blamed him: he would see him hang for the murder of the girl, and no one would dare believe that it was his fault over the peasant. Seeing the woman he loved dead, Will was overcome with grief, but managed to escape the young lord and fled into the night. Knowing that there was truth in the deceitful man’s words, that no court would put the noble to blame before him, Will knew that he had lost everything, not only his love. With help from three trusted friends, he faked his own death and left his hometown, cutting ties with everyone he knew. He moved into the slums of Kalleandar, changed his name, and scraped by through stealing and begging. As time went on, his sadness dulled, and he began to see more clearly what went on around him: people starving and sickly, working hard for barely any reward, suffering because of the rich. He began to notice that his problems, inflicted upon him so quickly, were the daily realities of so many around him. He decided that he would change it. Honing and refining his skills as a thief, he combined them with his knowledge of the noble’s houses and habits, and began to take petty revenge against the rich and their belongings. However, instead of keeping the money that he stole, he used it to assist the needy. His charms, long lost to his depression, resurfaced: he made friends and allies, and began to make a network of people who also felt that it was time society changed. When he felt the time was right, that he had the beginnings of something large, he found his old friends, the only three who knew of his past. He told them what he had done over the intervening years, and told them what he wanted for the future. They agreed to assist him: the accountant, the coordinator and the fence. They formed the Ember Gang, an organization dedicated to bringing equality to the poor, and enforcing it on the rich.Category:Character